British protest to Zimbabwe envoy

London - Britain's junior Foreign Office Minister, Mr Brian Wilson, called in Zimbabwe's London envoy yesterday to protest at…

London - Britain's junior Foreign Office Minister, Mr Brian Wilson, called in Zimbabwe's London envoy yesterday to protest at what he said was the intimidation of a BBC reporter and harassment of the judiciary.

Mr Wilson said he expressed concern to High Commissioner Simbarashe Mumbengegwi at the expulsion from Zimbabwe of journalist Joseph Winter. He also raised "wider implications for the press and also the harassment of judges".

Mr Wilson said after his meeting with Mumbengegwi that Britain wanted assurances there would be no further expulsions and that Zimbabwe's Daily News, whose presses were destroyed by a bomb three weeks ago, would be able to replace its equipment without government obstruction.